Over My Dead Booty
by SitarLover
Summary: Pirates. Betrayal. Brotherhood. When his village is burned to the ground by an evil and malicious crew of pirates, Roxas joins red headed duo, Reno and Axel and their crew, to rescue his brother who was kidnapped by Seifer, the captain of the pirates. Will they make it in time before Seifer hands Sora off to Xehanort? Find out in the thrilling adventure! AkuRoku, SoRiku.
1. Chapter 1

The flames behind the blonde boy roar with ferocity. The heat was so over whelming Roxas couldn't help but run. Everyone around him was screaming in agony, but he didn't stop to help, he just kept on running. When his heart was close to bursting from his chest, he slid to a stop because the streets were slick from the rain that began just before the fires started. There was one thing the blonde hated more than rain: Pirates.

Around the time that the sun was setting, Roxas was bidding his older brother, Sora, a fond farewell as he skipped down the cobble stone street to the loading dock where everyone was gathering to leave Traverse City. Sora was going to Destiny Islands to visit a friend who had fallen ill from pneumonia just a short time ago. When the ship was nearly full of all its passengers, a loud explosion was heard from a distance.

Roxas ran out of his small town home to see what the commotion was. People were running from the loading docks, and passengers were falling from the sides of the ship. The blonde ran from his home down the street, only to find a ghastly and totally unexpected scene. Dozens of men with swords and bombs surrounded innocent people, stabbing them mercilessly, and taking away their belongings. They laughed as they left the people helpless and screaming, begging for mercy.

Most of them carried swords at their sides and headed up the street, chasing and teasing the people of Traverse City. When Roxas saw a blonde man hand a torch off to another man, his stomach filled with rage and panic. However, when he saw the blonde man lift his brother off the ground and hold a knife to his throat, his heart stopped.

Roxas had no time to save his brother, and when he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, he realized more Pirates were coming after him as well. He had no time to think, just run. Then, the rain began.

When he slid to a halt, he tried looking for something to defend himself with. Unfortunately, he only had a moment before a really tall silver haired man came up to him with his sword drawn. Roxas looked up with a bit of shock, but grabbed the closest thing to him, which unluckily for him happened to be a mere pitchfork.

The man's smile was taunting, and his eyes held him in place while he charged for him. Roxas was able to duck in time and run under his arm, and lifted his own arms in front of his face with the pitchfork tightly held in his hands. The man laughed at him viciously.

"You're pathetic." With only a flick of the wrist, he dislodged the pitchfork from the blonde's grip and threw it away from him; the last thing Roxas saw was a giant fist colliding with his face.

**-page break-**

"Get your hands off me!" Sora squirmed in the strong man's grip, causing the man to squeeze even tighter. The struggling only made it all the more fun for the older pirate. The height and strength of the man didn't intimidate Sora nearly as much as the giant scar that traced down the left side of his face. The brunette didn't notice the other pirates slowly approach.

"Seifer, we're getting tired, can we head out of this shit town? There's nothing left here, we've burned it all to the ground," said a beautiful, silver haired teal-eyed man. He was so captivating, so much that Sora almost forgot he was being held hostage.

Seifer, the man in question and Sora's captor, pulled a long golden whistle out of his right side jacket pocket and held it to his lips. When the man blew on it, Sora struggled to cover his ears at the loud screech. He felt momentarily amazed when he saw that the silver haired man didn't even flinch; he must have been used to it.

"Hey Riku, tie him up will ya? I'm tired of him squirming." The silver haired man, who Sora assumed to be Riku, nodded in response.

The trek back to the ship was a short one, but Riku made sure to tie the knots nice and tight so Sora would only hurt himself if he struggled against them. He stared at the floor of the rowboat as they paddled their way back to the giant ship, because he didn't dare look at any of the men sharing the same boat. He attempted to look at the sky, but when he saw that it was only filled with rain and smoke, he decided the floor was a much better option.

It didn't take long to row back to the ship, and Riku had to carry Sora on his back while he climbed up the side of the ship. Sora realized that they must have snuck up from the docks and the sides of the ship he was going to sail on. '_Dirty nasty stinking pirates, always trying to be sneaky and stab people from behind'_, Sora thought to himself. He huffed, _cowards._

When they got to the top, Sora was thrown onto the dock of the ship like a rag doll, and Riku casually walked over him as if he was just a piece of dirt.

"Where we headed to now Seifer?" Riku asked the Captain who now wore a fancy hat with a feather on the side. Those made Sora stop and think; these pirates were the typical stereotype kind – the kind that wore bandanas, baggy white shirts, fancy vests and hats- and all of it made him chuckle.

"Something funny?" Riku asked him while Seifer looked over his map.

"You guys look like pirates." The pirates rolled their eyes at his stupid comment and continued studying the map. They began talking quietly, which allowed Sora to hear only their voices, but not the words.

Sora didn't even realize how long he spent lying on the floor with his hands tied tightly behind his back, he just paid attention to the stars that were now shining brightly in the sky. The rain had stopped and the breeze was very pleasant.

"Are the skies clear?" Seifer shouted to the man up on the tops of the ship.

"Yes sir, has been for a quite some time now, sir."

"Alright everyone, we're taking off."

Just as the ship began to vibrate, Sora shot straight up looking off into the distance. The ship rose out of the water, and slowly lifted into the sky; they were flying! The brunette just couldn't believe it. He felt someone grab his hands from behind and cut the knots, setting his hands free and allowing his blood to circulate throughout his wrists. Sora looked behind and saw Riku nod his head to let him know it was alright to wander about, seeing as how they were in the sky he knew the brunette wasn't stupid enough to jump.

Sora stood at the railing and grasped at it tightly, too afraid to look down.

"Hey captain, his face is green!" one of the pirates pointed at Sora, laughing hysterically. A split second later, Sora lost all of the contents in his stomach over the edge of the ship.

**THANK YOU! **

**Just wanted to say thank you so much for anyone who is reading and enjoying the story so far. There is much is store for this adventure. ((:**

**Also, just another thank you to a good friend Renolover455, who is helping me write and edit this story. She's given me the inspiration to get back into writing and I couldn't be happier. ^.^ **

**R&R! MUCH LOVE! ((:**


	2. Chapter 2

"This is hopeless."

Roxas sighed as he threw another rock into the ocean, watching it skip across the water. After the blonde woke up from being punched brutally in the face, he wandered aimlessly around the city searching for his brother. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found; Sora was really gone.

Looking out at the sunrise, he wondered what his brother might be doing at this very moment. There was no doubt in his mind that Sora was probably scared to death, beaten and bloodied, and desperately crying out for help. Roxas couldn't help but feel guilty; guilty for not being able to get to him sooner and for being so weak. The blonde felt ashamed that he couldn't even defend himself against a stupid pirate.

"Sora, I hope you're okay."

-page break-

"Sir, this is just obnoxious."

All the pirates laughed at the brunette who lay sprawled out on the deck, snoring like an old man. After the boy threw up, he fell comatose on the floor and not a soul on the ship could wake him from his slumber. Riku tried everything in his power to wake him up or to stop the snoring, but much to the silver haired man's frustration, all his attempts were in vain.

"Seifer, if you don't make him stop, I'm jumping ship." The blonde captain laughed at his first mate and rolled his eyes.

"Take him down stairs. I need to talk to you in my cabin anyhow," Seifer replied with a chuckle.

Riku threw the boy over his shoulder none too gently and stormed down the stairs, purposely crashing the brunet's limp body into the walls to disrupt the boy's slumber. Once he arrived at his destination, he wasted no time in dropping the brunet onto one of the cots that sat in the corner of the dimly lit room. The boy's snores were grating on his nerves, and while it would be so much simpler to just drive his sword through the pipsqueak's chest, not angering the captain was a much more appealing option.

Quickly he left the room, intent on not going back until the boy awakened or, if the deities willed it, until he stopped snoring. He knew what Seifer wanted to talk to him about, but he had been hoping they would leave the talking for another day. After all, there was not much to talk about; they had what they needed, what else could be on Seifer's mind?

He let out a sigh. Seifer always had a reason for everything; the blonde had not become captain on a whim. He had brains, and even though his attitude irritated Riku at times, the teal-eyed man never doubted him. Arriving at the captain's quarters, he made sure to knock on the old oak door before letting himself in.

Not a second later, the old gruff voice resonated from the other side of the door, giving Riku the okay. It did not surprise him to find the blonde man seated at his small dinner table, helping himself to his own little banquet.

"Captain," addressed the man.

The captain gave him a curt nod, and pointedly looked at the chair across from him. Realization instantly dawned on the silver haired man, and without any sort of hesitation, obeyed Seifer's silent command. With long strides he led himself towards the table, carefully pulled back the chair while making sure it did not scratch the floor, and seated himself across from the captain.

"Fighting tops says the sky's still clear," he automatically informed.

The blonde man grunted in response. "How's the lad?" he asked, sounding mildly interested.

"Still out sir," answered Riku, "seems that puking his guts out wasn't exactly his cup of tea."

"Aye," said the captain. "Still breathing?"

Riku internally winced. _'More like snoring,'_ he thought annoyed. "Yes."

"Good," said the captain, nodding approvingly. "Can't let him die on us, at least until we get him to the freaky bastard. So in the meantime, make sure he eats enough, sleeps enough, and gets enough fresh air."

Curiosity piqued, Riku raised an eyebrow at the blonde captain. True, keeping the boy alive was in their best interests considering the fact that it would be worth it in the end no matter how much of a drag it seemed right now. However, Seifer of all people being concerned about the kid's health was something of an abstract concept. They had done this a few times before, but seeing the blonde man look to a civilian's well being was something totally new. Just how much was the kid worth?

"Aye captain, I'll make sure he gets everything he needs."

The blue-eyed blonde man smirked at him. "Just don't spoil him," he said mockingly.

Riku didn't bother with a comeback, but silently excused himself and rolled his eyes as he led himself out of the captain's cabin. Spoil the twerp? Ha! As if.

-page break-

Roxas did not know what to think when he saw another pirate ship out at sea. However, he knew how to react; he needed a weapon, and he needed one fast. The ship was a few miles away, which if he calculated correctly, gave him enough time to run back home and come back with a weapon to fight off the newly arriving pirates.

But as he stood up, back facing the ocean, the state of his small hometown had finally dawned on him. Those wretched mongrels from earlier, the ones who had taken his brother away, had pillaged the whole town. Nothing was left unscathed, everything was left in ruins. Few things had been salvaged, but the amount of it made no impressive difference. As he saw a number of his fellow inhabitants come out of their homes with various types of weapons, he knew they were all on the same page. They were going to fight to their last breath if they wanted to protect what was left of their town.

"Boy!" A middle aged man with wised up features tossed, much to Roxas's chagrin, a pitchfork at him. The blonde caught it with ease, and while it personally wasn't the best weapon of choice, he guessed it'd had to do. After all, with the pirates' earlier looting and him getting knocked out while said looting occurred he was sure he had not been left with much, despite his earlier resolve of finding a weapon.

As he readied himself, he could not help but entertain the thought that maybe, just maybe these pirates would be easier to handle. The others were ruthless savages; nothing had stopped them.

Roxas noticed the pirate ship was getting closer to the dock, and found it odd how it seemed like the new arrivals were not going to blind side them like the other pirates had. The boy was momentarily stricken with fear. What if there were even more pirates then before? What if these pirates were so strong and ruthless and planned to take the whole city head on? Roxas did not like that idea one bit.

The ship had set anchor and three men, or pirates, were lowered from the ship onto a rowboat. They paddled up to the docks and climbed up the latter, only to come face-to-face with swords, knives, pitchforks, and a very angry mob the second their feet hit land.

"Hey, watch it!" growled one of the pirates, a dark skinned and bald –even if the bandanna around his head made Roxas have some doubts, the blonde teen was sure that the man was bald- man whose leg had the privilege of getting jabbed at by a pitchfork.

The other two, if their flaming red hair and piercing green eyes gave any indication, were obviously related. The tallest of the three stood the furthest away with his hands in his pockets, red hair spiked up and shot backwards, with teardrop tattoos that made his eyes look all the more… appealing?

"Look, we're not here to cause you any…" the shortest of them all stopped mid sentence and looked at the scene around him. The entire city was in shambles. "Any more trouble."

The bald man stepped up and held out his hand to a man that stood next to Roxas.

"We're not here to harm anyone. We've been out at sea for days and our crew is dead tired. All we want is a drink and a night's rest, and then we'll leave in the morning. We have money to pay for our stay."

"You think money is gonna help us now?" snapped the man. He ignored the bald pirate's offer at a greeting and chuckled darkly. "Just for the night, and then I want you pirate scum out of here by morning. We've had enough of the likes of you."

The bald man nodded and turned to the shortest red head. "Tell the crew we'll be staying here for the night, and Axel?" he looked up at the other and taller red head, "let's go get a drink."


	3. Chapter 3

Sora, sheet tangled and all, ended up falling onto the floor when he woke up with a start. His mind was hazy, but he was oriented enough to know where he was and how he ended up in his current situation. The room was dark, smelled stale and old, and very dusty judging by how clearly he could see the small particles through the little lighting provided by the small window. There was no one else in the room, so he decided to get up and wander around. Crates covered the walls, but he wasn't curious enough to look through them. He saw a light coming from the front of the room, so he thought he might as well make his way back to the top deck.

However, he regretted it the moment his eyes were exposed to the first few rays of the sun, making Sora use the backs of his hands to wipe away the few tears that pooled over his eyes, as well as to placate the stinging. With his eyesight currently occupied, he blindly stumbled about until he felt himself collide with a firm, and very sturdy structure. Keeping his eyes shut, he reached his hands out and flailed them around; looking to get a feel just so he could figure out exactly what it was that blocked his pathway. He was hoping for it to be just a pole, but that small thought flew out the window when he felt someone grab his wrists. His eyes flew open to see the silver haired pirate glaring daggers at him.

"What do you think you're doing runt?" Sora jumped back and toppled over a rope, making Riku chuckle at his clumsiness. "You're so pathetic."

"I am _not_ pathetic! The only _pathetic_ one here is you!" The brunette slapped his hands over his mouth knowing he just might have said a bit too much.

"The kid's got guts, I'll give him that." Sora looked behind him to find a blue-haired short man, shorter than his self, watching the scene with an amused expression.

"Really? I thought he threw those up yesterday," retorted Riku, chuckling along with his fellow pirates. They were all ganging up on Sora, and he didn't particularly like that too much. He threw daggers at the silver haired pirate.

"Go on and tell me then, why am _I_ so pathetic?" Again, the pirates chuckled.

Sora's temper started to rise, and to save face, pulled himself back up on his feet. He dusted himself off and smiled. Riku was taken aback at the action. The boy just smiled at him after they had made fun of him, huh?

"Because you have to pick on a clumsy dork like me to make yourself feel better about yourself. I hope it helps. I mean, if I were as stupid as you, I'd probably take my anger out on innocent people too." It was a good thing that the small brunet had a lithe physique, otherwise he would have been doomed from the moment that Riku pounced on the boy.

It was a game of cat and mouse for who knows how long. The rest of the crew was in hysterics, not able to hold in their laughter as they watched Riku relentlessly chase the brunet around the ship. Unfortunately for Riku who was more about brute strength, the small brunet was much quicker than he.

"I swear when I get my hands on you," Riku threatened.

"All brawn and no brain," Sora taunted with a chuckle, "you mean IF you get your hands on me, right?"

Riku looked up at the sky. "Give me the strength not to kill him."

**-page break-**

**The dialogue Riku says is from the movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. In case anyone was wondering.**

**-page break-**

"I just need to talk to the captain of your crew, please just point me into his direction, if you'd be so kind." The short blonde was trying to push his way through the saloon while all the pirates were drinking and wrestling. His fellow town folk filled the other half of the place, intent on drinking their sorrow away. A lot of the men and women lost damn near everything.

Roxas tried his hardest to push and shove through the mobs of people, but his attempts turned out futile when he saw he wasn't getting any closer to the bar. When he thought all hope was lost, he ran into the bald man that he saw earlier that evening.

"You!" The man stared down at Roxas, and let out a grunt while waiting for the blonde to continue. "Are you the captain?"

"Nah kid, he's over there at the bar." He pointed to the shorter red headed man, head hung low as if he was avoiding someone. Roxas pushed his way as hard as he could through the drunken crowds, and when he got to the bar, he slumped down onto a stool right next to the red head.

The captain let out a chuckle when he saw the blonde kid get a pint.

"Are you even old enough to drink kid?"

"You can have it if you answer a few questions." The red head looked like he was contemplating something, but took the pint and held out his left hand to shake Roxas's.

"I'm Reno, Captain of the Highwind Two!" Reno held up two fingers.

"You…named your ship Highwind Two?" Roxas asked.

"Well, it's our second ship. Axel liked Highwind. I don't know, ask him." The blonde could tell the pirate was already severely intoxicated, and that wasn't going to do him any good.

Roxas got up and was ready to leave until he saw the other redhead, who he assumed to be Axel, plop down on the seat next to him. He couldn't help but stare at the tattoos beneath the man's eyes, as well as those stunning green eyes that for some odd reason made the blonde feel so transparent.

"See something that catches your interest blondie?"

"Your tattoos," the red head cocked his head to the side, "are they triangles or tear drops?" Roxas knew there was a difference between the two.

"They're triangles." He chuckled. The blonde nodded in response.

Axel sipped on his pint while Roxas was lost in thought. He sat on the stool, with his left arm propped up on the bar and his hand fisted against his cheek, holding his face in place. His eyes were staring at the silver plaque that resided on the shelf behind the bar, but he wasn't really concentrating on it.

Before he walked over to the bar, the redhead had seen Roxas talking to Reno, or at least trying to talk to him, so he guessed it was right for him to butt in on the conversation. Reno's business was his business, and even though it seemed highly unequal, he usually preferred keeping the shorter red head out of his own personal affairs. The kid looked like he was in deep thought, and while he really didn't want to interrupt the kid's musings, Axel wanted to know what the blonde wanted with his older brother.

"I'm Axel."

Roxas shook his head and looked over at the man who had his left hand reaching out, awaiting a handshake much like the captain himself had done before. The blonde took the red haired man's hand in his own, and shook it slowly.

"Roxas," he replied.

"So, what was it you were talking to my brother about?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

Roxas sighed. He knew if he didn't ask someone that he'd never get onto that ship, and who better to ask than the brother of the captain? He seemed nice enough anyway.

"My brother was taken by the pirates that pillaged the city. I just needed a way to the next town to see if anyone has heard anything about these pirates, or if they've seen my brother."

A thought struck the red haired pirate's mind at the familiarity of it all. Pirates that pillaged entire cities and made it a habit to kidnap helpless innocents… oh yeah, Axel knew exactly who it was.

He looked back at the boy and saw how lost and scared he was. The kid must have really loved his brother. Not just anyone would risk their lives on an expedition searching for the people they cared about, except those who were foolishly crazy.

"You know, I think we just might be able to help you out kid." The red head smirked at Roxas. He had never seen a light shine brighter in anyone's eyes until he saw the excitement and relief in the blonde's in front of him. For a fleeting moment, he felt like a committing a good deed for the kid, even though the sentiment wouldn't last very long.

Still, the kid's desperation and seeming disregard for his own life puzzled him a bit. Either the blonde was a very devoted brother, or he was just plain crazy.

**-page break-**

Riku was bent over, one hand on the railing of the ship and the other clutching his chest as he deeply gasped for air. The brunet on the other hand was dancing around on the deck, spinning around with his arms stretched out at his sides, and looking up at the clouds while giggling like an idiot.

"You know, for an old pirate geezer, you put up a good fight," said the brunet playfully.

The pirate didn't even challenge him as he took a seat and laid back to stare up at the sky. All of the other pirates just laughed hysterically throughout their whole chase. They tried their best to cheer on their fellow pirate, but later began cheering for Sora when they saw that rooting for Riku was a lost cause.

Sora walked over, next to where Riku was laying and took a seat next to him. Riku glared up at Sora, but his glare softened and soon they both just burst into laughter.

"Yeah, and you put up a good chase."

"Well thank you!" Sora grinned at the compliment.

"At least you're not throwing up this time. I thought flying made you sick." The brunet's smile faltered and he began pouting. Riku just rolled his eyes.

"It's not that. I'm sort of…" he trailed off.

"Sort of?"

"Afraid of heights."

Riku was about to respond, but cut himself off at the last minute when he heard a loud grumble. The brunet stared at his stomach and immediately shushed it, letting out a sheepish laugh to dispel some of the awkward silence, while in turn, Riku gripped his bicep, lifted them both up off the floor, and dragged him towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?"asked the youngster.

"To feed that angry monster that's growling in your tummy."

"Riku! You made a joke!" the brunet clapped with excitement-and much effort seeing as one of his arms was in the man's grip- making the pirate roll his eyes for the second time that day.


	4. Chapter 4

When he saw the first few rays of the sun permeate through the night sky, Axel knew they had to haste things up a notch. The townsfolk only gave them a day, and while it did not exactly make him fear for his life, it made him fear for his brother's who had a knack for stupidity.

Both of them may have been born with the craftiness of a fox, but Reno being Reno, Axel himself knew that he was a tad craftier than the older red head.

Or was it the other way around?

Finding his brother wouldn't be a problem, Axel saw the older redhead knock out after his sixteenth pint right before he left the saloon, which he had to note was quite a record. Axel was as much of a drinker as his brother was, but one of them had to be alert at least for a while longer which explained his loitering around the docks on such an early morning. And as he made his way back to the saloon, he hoped on the possibility of not running into the crazy blonde kid from yesterday. He was a pirate, not a baby sitter.

Axel wasn't sure what drove him to offer the blonde a helping hand, but he supposed he could blame it on the beer and on those pleading sapphire orbs from yesterday. What could he say? He was a sucker for pretty things.

When he saw the object of his current thoughts some meters away, the redhead cursed at whatever deity had decided to make things more difficult for him. Discreetly he turned around, and started walking the opposite direction at a brisk pace, uncaring of the thought that it would only elongate the distance between him and the saloon.

He felt his pride puff up when he saw that he remained undetected, but when he heard it…

"Axel!"

The red head quickened his pace, intent on losing the lad.

"Pirate!"

Oh, okay, now the kid was getting kind of annoying but he supposed he'd rather hear the blonde's voice rather than the constant nagging from each of his many lassies.

"You! Stop!"

His voice grew faint per each second that passed, much to Axel's relief. He kept walking to the point where he couldn't hear the kid at all, which in itself proved to him that he hadn't lost his 'touch.'

After all, he was an escape artist.

"I thoughts ah 'eard the skip'eh say, leeve 'er Johnny, leeve 'er" slurred out a familiar voice from a few feet away. The familiar out of tone voice, as well as the similar shock of red hair that appeared in his line of sight was enough to make Axel feel a sense of dread and just a tiny hint of amusement.

It seemed his drunken brother still had not caught sight of him; the older pirate continued singing to his heart's content. "work 'as 'ard, voyage long, leave 'er Johnny, leeve 'er!"

'_it's time to leave her'_, silently finished the spiky haired pirate, fully aware of the fact that he just inserted a random line from their famously acclaimed shanty.

He knew it by heart, there was no doubt about that, mostly because it was theirs; it was both Reno's and Axel's famous piece of shanty.

Both redhead brothers had to leave Her.

He had the nagging suspicion they were being watched, so he supposed it was justified for him to clock his older brother on the back of his head, which proved effective when the red head shut up and let his shorter frame slump onto the younger sibling. The taller, but younger man drug his sibling over to a crate and sat him down. He scanned the area for Rude, but the wiser man was probably already snoozing away.

Axel sighed at the thought of having to take his brother to a room to get some sleep, but before he could lift the man, he found himself with a dagger pressed against his neck

**~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0**

"So, are you guys ever gonna tell me what you kidnapped me for? I mean, I know I shouldn't complain. I'm being treated like royalty here!"

Sora was sitting in the captain's chair inside Captain Seifer's quarters and was eating out of the giant bowl of fruits that sat at the center of a large wooden table, fit for ten men or more. He had his feet propped up on the table and was leaning back with his head comfortably resting against the cushions. Riku on the other hand was searching through a cabinet filled with spare clothes.

Earlier that morning, Sora and Riku had began playing another game of cat and mouse. The silver haired pirate chased Sora to the side of the boat and the crew was preparing to land in the water. As the brunette was leaning back, chuckling insanely at the out of breath pirate, the boat rocked as it hit the water. Sora flipped over the edge and screamed the whole way down until he hit the water with a large splash.

Almost instantly, Riku regained his breath grabbed a rope that was tied to ship and leaped over the edge to go after Sora. The boy had already resurfaced by the time Riku hit the water and the pirate looked all to relieved. Sora's head popped out of the water and he looked at Riku with a wide smirk. Needless to say, Riku regretted jumping into the water.

Sora spit a mouth full of water in the pirates direction and Riku reached out for his head to shove him under the water.

"Damn you Sora!" Riku shouted as he dunked his head again.

The brunette just laughed at Riku's misfortune. The pirate grabbed his arm and started tugging onto the rope, pulling them back onto the ship. When they reached the top Riku pushed him again and glared.

"You're so lucky you can swim. I was NOT looking forward to performing mouth to mouth." Riku was glaring daggers at Sora who was _still_ chuckling.

"No Riku, you're lucky I can swim, cause you know Seifer would have made you."

That's what lead them into Seifer's quarters. The ship docked at a small island to do some things that Riku wasn't willing to discuss with Sora. No one was on the ship besides the two of them.

"Are you ever going to answer me Riku?" Sora questioned.

The pirate threw a shirt and a pair of trousers at the boy's face and ignored his question further. Riku went outside and leaned against the rail and stared out into the distance. Sora emerged from the room a few moments later to see Riku with the sun making his skin glow. He looked so serene. It was then at Sora realized that Riku's eyes looked just like the ocean. The blues and greens mixed in beautifully and his silver hair only complimented them even more.

Sora stepped to Riku's side and watched the sun fall beneath the horizon.

"Why did you become a pirate Riku?"

This caught the pirates attention. He looked down at Sora and he actually smiled. This made Sora's heart flutter for just a moment and he melted when he heard Riku chuckle.

Riku sighed, "You sure do ask a lot of questions, don't ya?"

They stood in silence and watched the sun finally fade beneath the horizon and the stars were beginning to peak out.

Riku saw the brunette yawn deeply from the corner of his eyes and knew it was time to get the imbecile to bed.

**~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~**


	5. Chapter 5

**~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~**

"Listen, kid...I really don't think you wanna do that." Axel tried stepping away from the smaller boy who had the sharper object stabbing at his Adam's apple. He backed into a wall and lifted his arms in surrender when he realized that he had no way out.

"I don't want to hurt you blondie," he threatened.

Roxas started with a chuckle and then laughed out loud at what Axel said. The red head stared with a dumbfounded look and cocked his head at an angle, just waiting for the giggles to subside. When the blonde finally quit, he straightened out his face and looked the pirate straight in the face and glared.

"Go ahead and hurt me. I've already lost everything; my home, my brother, not to mention my sanity. You think a few broken bones is really gonna bother me?" Roxas said.

Axel was a bit taken back. He didn't know how to respond. So, he just nodded his head and put his finger to the dagger and gently pushed it aside. Roxas put it back in the small sheath that he connected to his belt that hung loosely on his hip.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." The pirate sighed. "I told you that you could come with us, didn't I?"

Roxas nodded his head, motioning for Axel to continue on. "Alright, well we're done here for the night. Soon as the drunken lunatics get a few hours sleep, we'll be ready to set sail. Be ready to go."

The shorter male shook his head with anticipation. As the pirate started to walk away, Roxas grabbed at his sleeve and pulled him back around. "I don't mean to intrude or be a nuisance. I just have to find my brother. He's the only family I have left." He finished with a whisper.

The pirate grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "I know what you mean kid."

"Oh yeah?" The blonde asked.

"I'd be lost with out my big brother." The red head replied thoughtfully.

Axel wrapped his left arm around the smaller boy's shoulder and they started walking towards the docks where Reno's ship was tied up. Roxas leaned his head back to look at the stars that were fading away with the morning sun rolling in, just wondering if Sora was looking too.

"Axeeeelll?" The pirate jerked his head around quickly to see his brother slumped against the wall. Axel and Roxas laughed out loud at the captain, but the two carried him back to his ship where he could sleep.

**~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~**

The tall scarred captain was leaning against a pillar behind a smith shop. Morning dew covered the earth and a cool breeze blew in from the ocean, leaving goose bumps on the blonde man's skin. People were slowly gathering into their stores or their small market street shops, setting up for the day.

Seifer observed the very few people crossing through the streets, nothing new to him, but what always made him laugh on the inside were the conversations amongst some of the people.

A woman and her husband were fighting about the time the husband spent at the saloon when she needed his help to take care of little Timmy. Obviously the husband had spent the night at the bar, with the sun off in the distance. She had her reason's to be angry. Then, you'd hear the husband chime in with how the wife was a crazy stalker. That only made Seifer chuckle out loud.

Shop keepers were shouting at the many children that were filling the streets, obviously heading to a school house to learn. Rambunctious little demons they were; knocking over the crates filled with fruits that needed to be sold in the market place, knocking each other over; running down the smaller children and laughing at their misfortune. The captain couldn't wipe the smirk from his face.

A small child wondered aimlessly, then spotted what he was looking for. Another child, a friend, came running towards him with a wooden sword and they fought in between the people and the market stands.

"_I'll get you Seifer!" _

"_Not in your lifetime!" _

_Two boys fought on an empty beach in the middle of the night. They kicked sand in each others faces and swung their wooden swords mercilessly, trying to dislodge the sword from the others hands. The red head was much taller than the blonde who ran faster than the wind. When the blonde wasn't expecting it, the red head pounced on the smaller boy and they rolled in the sand, giggling insanely._

"_Ya know, you're my best friend Seifer." The red head said when he regained his breath._

"_Yeah I know you big cheese ball!" _

_They started laughing again, but stayed still in the sand. The blonde rolled to his side so he could stare at his friend._

"_You're my best friend too."_

Seifer shook his head violently, trying to rid himself of pointless memories. The smirk vanished as he heard footsteps behind him. Another man in a long black trench coat stood underneath the light provided by morning sun that peaked over the horizon. The strange man walked up to the captain and chuckled darkly.

"It has been a long while, _Captain _Seifer."

The blonde's smirk was back in place. "Yeah, no kidding."

**~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~**

Riku stood by the railings at the front of the ship while the rest of the crew slept in their cabin. They had been running low on supplies, but Riku knew that wasn't the only reason they had stopped for the night when he noticed that the captain never returned the night before with the rest of the crew as they carried on many boxes and crates.

The pirate pushed himself off the railing that he'd been leaning over and walked to the loading ramp, trying to look into the distance to search for the missing captain. He knew that Seifer would be upset with him if he left his post, so the pirate just cursed and made his way over to the steps that laid to the cabin where Sora slept peacefully.

"_Where's the cap'n?" He asked._

"_Like we know?" The sarcastic reply made him chuckle. "Where's the kid?"_

_Riku looked behind him and nudged his head towards the stairs. "Kid fell asleep a while ago."_

"_He sure does like to sleep." _

_Riku laughed again, but instead of responding, he only nodded his head. The pirate walked onto the ramp that lead to the docks and took one last look. He knew what Seifer was up to, but he never thought that it would start to make him worry. Riku never worried. _

Riku could hear snores the moment he stepped foot on the stairs. He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly where the snores were coming from, or who rather. Before he opened the door to check on the boy, because that's what it was, he heard the snores stop. _You're only checking on him to make sure he didn't drown himself in his own saliva. _Riku thought to himself. The door creaked open and the brunette was sitting up, trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"You should go back to sleep." Riku said.

"What are you doing down here?" Sora asked innocently. Riku noticed that even when the kid didn't try, he had this natural pout. His bottom lip was always slightly puckered. The pirate shook his head.

"Just making sure you're still alive, ya know, the usual." Sora only yawned and nodded his head before laying back down.

When his breath evened out, Riku sat himself on the side of the bed that Sora was sleeping on. He leaned his head back and sighed. _Damnit Seifer. _He turned his head slightly to the left to see Sora's deep blue eyes staring back at him._ Damn you. _Riku felt a small hand pat him on the head, so he leaned his head far back enough to where the boy could reach better.

Sora's eyes softened when he saw the dark circles forming under the pirates eyes and he slowly started to run his fingers through the soft silver hair that was offered to him.

"You worry too much Riku."

The pirate chuckled.

"You don't worry enough Sora."

**~0~0~oo~0~0~oo~0~0~**

**And that is the end of the fifth chapter! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update, but I promise that I won't quit this story. I'm also sorry that this chapter is kind of short, but it needs to be in order for me to get to the next chapter, which is going to revolve around mostly Seifer. **

**Thank you so much to everyone who is following and reviewing, it means a lot to me! Hopefully the next chapter won't take nearly as long, but I'm not making any other promises. Anyway, you know the drill. Please lemme know what you think of the story! REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY!**


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